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LinkedIn Posts: Get Published and Reach a New Audience

Being a published author is easier than ever these days. Hit “publish” on WordPress and you’re out there on the Internet.

Now comes the hard part: building an audience.

Sure, you’ve shared the link to your blog on all your social media platforms. But still, you’re only reaching the same people over and over again. Going viral just isn’t happening. Getting people to read your blog (beyond your mom, dad and college roommate) isn’t that easy.

Now, this isn’t the be-all to end-all, but LinkedIn Posts are a good solution to those looking to get published and gain a few new eyeballs.

Once limited to just “Influencers,” LinkedIn Posts are slowly being rolled out to all users.

Be the Expert that You Are

LinkedIn really allows you to be an expert on something (or a lot of things). Your job title, skills and resume are right on the page and serve as your qualifications.

As a Marketing and Social Media Manager, I write about content marketing and social media. My resume supports this. A few eyebrows would be raised if I were to write about, say, running a company.

For me, LinkedIn is a great place to host my resume, my experience, my writing samples and my knowledge. What else could a potential employer or business partner want?

More Chances to Expand Your Audience

Like Facebook, LinkedIn has its own process that determines what users see in their feed. In addition to your first-degree connections, content has the opportunity to reach a much larger audience if it has a lot of engagement.

Who will be the first to see that content once it reaches this point? People with similar interests. LinkedIn tries to provide users with content they are interested in. There’s a good chance that your connections are somewhat similar to you – maybe in the same industry, have the same job title, common conference attendance, went to the same college – so you’re more likely to interest your audience and show up in their feed if you’re writing about common interests.

Plus, as the social networks have changed, it’s a lot less creepy to request the connection of a stranger on LinkedIn and Facebook, which means it’s a lot easier to expand your audience.

Almost Like a Blog, But Also Like Your Social Media Networks

LinkedIn Posts offer a unique balance of being a blog and being a social media platform.

Like a blog, it allows for long-form content with both words and images. You get to go well beyond 140 characters and your audience will actually read it because it’s a professional network and they’re not also looking at wedding and baby photos.

Like a social media network, it’s primarily served with people you’re connected to. However, members not in your network can choose to follow your content like blog followers, and will receive updates when you publish new content. This allows you to expand your network and meet new people.

And, just like other content you put out on the Internet, the posts are out there for all to see. They show up on the Posts section of your profile and are searchable on and off LinkedIn. This is a great tool for personal branding. Plus, instead of just hanging out where the cool kids are, you’re hanging out where the smart people are.

But Does It Work?

I think so. Since posting my first of two blogs, I’ve seen an increase of profile views and people adding me to their networks. While my views for each post isn’t incredibly excessive, my bosses (who have much more clout than I do) have had much success in both Post views and referral traffic.

What do you have to lose? Build up your resume and reach more professionals with your expertise and LinkedIn posts!

Lisa Salabritas

Lisa Salabritas is the Marketing Manager at PCG Digital Marketing. She believes that the best strategy for producing good content comes from Stephen King: “Read a lot, write a lot,” and the cure for everything is a day in the sun, preferably on the beach.